Nigerian and Ghanaian most influential women in the movie industry

We do watch these ladies on television everyday, we read about them on blogs, we queue for their autographs at events, we consult their wardrobe for fashion trends, what else? They are the most influential women in the Nigerian and Ghanaian movie industry.

In no particular order, meet our top ten most influential actresses in Ghallywood and Nollywood.

Ini Edo

Ini Edo is a Nigerian actress that has surely been there for a while and does not seem like quitting anytime soon. She is known for her consistency in movies as she appears in a movie almost every month. She is very talented and has numerous awards to her name also.

Yvonne Nelson

Yvonne Nelson (born November 12, 1985) is a Ghanaian actress, model, film producer and entrepreneur. Yvonne, a former Miss Ghana contestant, shot to fame after a big-screen role in Princess Tyra and Playboy. She quickly became a household name on the African continent.

Mercy Johnson

Popularly known for her village girl roles, Mercy Johnson drives home the fact that being “raz” pays too. She inspires her fans through the non challant and funny roles she plays in movies. She is married and is a mother of two.

Tonto Dikeh

Tonto Dikeh is also a huge name in Nollywood, having starred in countless movies. She has huge numbers of fans on social media and does well to keep them interested with the numerous scandals always surrounding her.

Patience Ozokwor

Patience Ozokwor is a multi-award winning Nigerian actress. She won the Best Supporting Actress award at the 10th Africa Movie Academy Awards. Mama Gee is definitely the queen of them all. It is said that she has played the role of a mother to almost every notable Nollywood actor.

Onyeka Onwenu

Although Onyeka Onwenu became influential through her legendary musical career, but she recently has proven her acting career to be somewhat legendary too so she is included in this list. She recently gave an outstanding performance in the 2014 Nollywood blockbuster, Half Of A Yellow Sun where she played the mother of the popular Hollywood actor Chiwetel Ejiofor.

Omotola Jalade Ekeinde

Omosexy as she is known locally was recently named in TIME MAGAZINE’s top 100 most influential people. She is one of the most popular actresses on the African continent and has won so many awards, both for acting and her services to humanity.

Genevieve Nnaji

Genevieve Nnaji (born 3 May 1979) is a Nigerian actress and singer. She is the first Nigerian actress to be featured on one of CNN’S very own programmes. In 1998, at the age of 19, she made her debut in the growing Nigerian film industry with the movie “Most Wanted”. Her name became a household name and her image the desire of every young girl. In 2002, she starred in the movie Sharon Stone (2002), and her fame shot beyond the shores of Nigeria to the rest of Africa and several European countries. She won the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in 2005. In 2011, she was honoured as a Member of the Order of the Federal Republic by the Nigerian government for her contribution to Nollywood.

Funke Akindele

It’s a big deal to have Funke Akindele appear on this list as she is the only Yoruba actress present. She became well known and influential after her role in the first, second, and third installations of the “Jenifa” movie. Her acting was outstanding in the movie and since then she’s been appearing on every screen and every award show in the country.

Nadia Buari

Popularly known for being beautiful and confident, Nadia Buari is one Nollywood star who has caught the eye of movie lovers across Africa. The Ghanaian born actress has featured in an array of movies and has many awards to her name. She has one of the most social media followers in the industry.